Friday, July 2, 2010

Boston - Day 2

I can't figure out why I don't sleep until my alarm goes off anymore. This morning, after opening my eyes and taking a moment to figure out where exactly I was, I went out into the brisk morning and enjoyed a run (and walk) along the Charles River to begin my day. There were many college students and locals running and biking as well. The rowing classes or teams were out in great numbers as well. Beautiful! Our meetings and lectures today included an overview of languages spoken on the continent of Africa, more Wolof lessons, a lecture about what it is like to be a foreigner in Senegal, and a viewing of a film entitled, Faat Kine. WARAs U.S. Director, Jennifer Yanco titled her overview of languages, "Do You Speak African?" She finds it is a common question asked of her and others who have lived or spent lots of time in Africa. The question demonstrates one aspect of Americans' misunderstanding of Africa because, in fact, there are more than 2,000 official languages spoken in Africa. Maas Ndiaye continued teaching us basic Wolof grammar and phrases. Today, focus was on parts of the body and what they do. For example, the eye sees and looks. Eye is "bet". See is "gis", and Look is "xool". Learning this may be one of my biggest challenges. Aye! Professor Patricia Tang told us about her experiences in Senegal as a foreigner. She is an ethnomusicologist at M.I.T. Additionally, she plays the violin and the sabar. (Remember the drumming group we saw on day one in Boston? The drums are called sabar.) Her anecdotes were very helpful and practical.Finally, we watched the Ousmane Sembene film called Faat Kine. He was the first African to make a movie about Africans. The movie's setting was Dakar and was in French with a little Wolof. Very interesting.Boston is in the midst of a Harborfest. It is, after all, the Fourth of July week. We have seen the staging for the Boston Pops, costumed historical figures, and a faire at Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market area of town. If one is going to be in Boston, perhaps once in a lifetime, one must eat New England clam chowder in a bread bowl. One really must! Walking back from the Faneuil Hall to the hotel through Boston Commons was also a highlight.

This is the view of Fenway Park from my hotel room at Buckminster Hotel. There was a game tonight, but I decided that $35.00 was too much to pay for the cheap seats. Enjoying the cheering, the lights, and the hustle and bustle on the streets as ambiance was fine given my budget and the amount of time I have here.

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Other Blogs About the Fulbright Seminar in Senegal

Getting the perspective of this trip from colleagues who traveled with me is refreshing. If you have enjoyed scrolling through my reflections about Senegal, you may enjoy checking out these other blogs kept during the same study seminar.

Cities I've Visited

About Me

One might think that the very young are quite different than older folks. I propose that we are all the same in one major way... We love a good story, and the best stories come from real life. History is full of tantalizing, sorrowful, tragic, and wonderful stories. Most exciting of all is the fact that we are all writing our own stories at this very moment. The choices we make will affect others' stories, and in no time at all, we become the stories that will be told in the future. I have had the opportunity to travel the tiniest bit, and each time I visit a new-to-me place in the world, I feel as though I have been changed. Touched by the people I meet and their stories, I can't wait to share those stories with my students, my colleagues, and my family. If any of the discoveries I make along the way are useful to you as well, all the better.